Razor blade holder



June 5, 1956 P. MULLER RAZOR BLADE HOLDER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5, 1950 /IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII/[III IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA 11111111.

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.P. m. h w m ll I June 5, 1956 Filed Nov. 3, 1950 P. MULLER 2,748,989

RAZOR BLADE HOLDER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 5, 1956 Filed Nov. 5, 1950 P. MULLER RAZOR BLADE HOLDER Fig.9

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4c b 4b 13 by iffiggfl RAZOR BLADE HOLDER Paul Muller, Solingen, Germany Application November 3, 1950, Serial No. 193,786

Claims priority, application Germany November 26, 1949 8 Claims. (Cl. 221-=232) This invention relates to razor-blade dispensers comprising a receptacle wherein safety razor-blades are stacked upon a blade bed and maintained in register by a blade locator which enters one or more of the openings in the blade, and from which the blades can be ejected singly through a slot in one end of the receptacle by an ejector sliding in a slot in the cover of the receptacle. The ejector has an abutment projecting into the receptacle to engage the end of the uppermost blade of the stack, and the blades are commonly pressed against the ejector by a spring.

A principal object of the present invention is a blade dispenser of this kind which is capable of dealing with very thin blades. So long as safety razor-blades were fairly thick it was not difiicult to get an ejector or extruding device to work satisfactorily, ejecting the blades one at a time. But since it has become customary to use blades less than 0.1 mm. thick, often no more than 0.96 to 0.08 mm, existing types of dispensers cannot be relied on not to eject two blades simultaneously.

A more specific object of thi invention is a blade dispenser in which the blades are held stacked with their ends in echelon, so that it is not only the thickness of the blades but their disposition which determines their engagement by the ejector. The blades are thus located by forming the blade locator with :slanting ends, and the end position of the ejector is determined by the slot in the cover of the receptacle in which it slides so that it will engage the topmost blade of a stack so located in echelon but not the second blade.

Another object of the invention is a dispenser of this kind in which the spring which presses the blades towards the ejector bears on them close to their ends so that the topmost blade is not so much bent or arched by the pressure of the spring that its end could escape the ejector.

Yet another object of the present invention is a dispenser of this kind in which the simultaneous ejection of two blades is prevented by extending a portion of the blade ejector into such close proximity to the cover of the receptacle that there is room for only one blade to pass at atime.

A still further object of the invention is a dispenser of this kind in which the 'bladelocator has anose extending above the blade pack in the direction of ejection, which serves to hold down the leading edge of the blade 'until'the blade has been partly ejected.

Yet other features of the invention are directed to. ensuring satisfactory engagement by the ejector of the blade to be ejected and satisfactory guidance of the blade during ejection; to facilitating manufacture and assembly of the dispenser and to providing for the storage of used blades. This will appear from the following description of typical embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The drawings show:

In Figure 1 a median longitudinal section through the Wholeholder on the line Il of Figure 3,

atent O In Figure 2 a side elevation of the blade bed and attached spring,

in Figure 3 a plan of the blade bed and spring,

In Figures 4 and 5 an elevation and plan of a modified construction of blade bed with locating pins,

In Figure 6 a view from below of the sliding plate and its abutment upon a larger scale,

In Figure 7 a side elevation of the sliding plate also upon a larger scale,

In Figure 8 a view of the blade holder with a blade half extruded,

in Figures v9 and 10 an elevation and plan respectively of a blade bed with a modified locating member, and

in Figures 11 and 12 an elevation and plan respectively of a blade bed with a modified form of locating pins.

The holder, which may, for example, be a moulding of plastic, comprises a one-piece casing l and a blade bed 2 which can be slid into guides in the casing, for instance grooves 22. The blade bed will usually be cemented fast after insertion loaded with a pile of blades. On the underside of the top of the casing are guide ribs .3, against which the blades positioned by the locating member 4 of the blade bed are pressed by the spring 5. In Figure l, for the sake of clearness, only three blades are shown, one of which, 6, is already partly extruded while the others 7 are wholly within the holder. The end 'surfaces of the locating member 4 are inclined and cause the ends of the blades to lie in echelon so facilitating the extrusion of the top blade. Extrusion is effected by a sliding plate 8 which has an upstanding part d projecting through a longitudinal slot in the top of the casing; the upper surface of the part 9 being knurled for better operation by the thumb. The plate 8 has an abutment 3.9 which engages the top blade. The transverse part 12 of the spring 5 bears on the blades so close to their end that when the plate 8 is fully withdrawn the end 11 of the uppermost blade is sure to lie in front of the abutment ill. It has been 'found that the spring works most reliably when it is made in the form of a U-shaped spring of wire and is so arranged that its transverse part is just beyond the end of the locating member 4. To ensure the spring taking this position small notches 13 are formed in the end of the blade bed, and the spring has hooked ends 14 which engage around these notches. The spring is made wide enough to extend over a large part of the width of the blade so that the blade does not bend in its width.

The sliding plate 8 is shown on a larger scale in Figures 6 and 7.

These figures show the engaging abutment 19 formed with two thickened parts serving as claws, the blade engaging edges ltla and liib of these claws extending to the edges of the plate 8. This construction ensures reliable engagement with the blade even if there should be a burr on the end of the blade. There is also a transverse groove 17 in the underside of the sliding plate next to the engaging edges lda and ittlb, the eifect of which is mentioned below.

Figure 1 shows how the blades, lie overlapped in echelon. The longitudinal slot in the top of the casing in which the upstanding part 9 of the plate 8 moves is so exactly made at its right .hand end that in the bladeengaging position of the plate the abutments' ltia and 10b lie just behind the end 11 of the uppermost blade, and the end of the next blade abuts on the underside of the abutments. As is to be seen from Figure 7 the actual depth of the claws is very small, less than the thickness of a blade. But because of the groove 17 there is an abutment edge 10 of much greater depth than the blade thickness. Therefore, this edge would engage several blades at the same time were it not that the overlapping of "the blades and the exact location of the end position of the sliding plate 8 causes the second blade to abut on the underside of the claws. Thus the groove 17 makes certain that the uppermost blade will be engaged at the beginning of an ejection. Yet the claws themselves are so shallow that they do not overpass the thickness of the blade, and therefore during ejection do not touch the second blade and tend to drag it along. The groove is also important if there is a burr on the end of the blade to be ejected for the groove accommodates it.

There is also a mid rib 15 on the underside of the sliding plate 8, of about the thickness of a blade. During ejection it slides in firm contact with the locating member 4 and so assists in guiding the blades in a straight line during ejection which prevents the blade edges being damaged. In other that this rib may engage in the longitudinal slot in the blade its end 16 is at least as far from the abutment faces 10a and 101) as the end of the blade slot is from the end of the blade.

If by some accident two blades should be engaged simultaneously by the abutment faces 10a and 10b ejection of more than one is prevented by a hump 4a on the end of the locating member 4, which so narrows the passage between the sliding plate 8 and the locating member 4 that only a single blade can pass. The hump may be in a different position on the locating member.

Upon the top blade being pushed forward by the sliding plate 8, its leading edge ridges up the ramp 25 on the blade bed and passes through the slot 26 in the end wall of the casing as seen at 6 in Fig. 1.

Figures 4 and show another construction of the blade bed in which the locating member 4 is replaced by two locating studs 4c and 4d. These are inclined like the ends of the member 4, and the right-hand stud has a hump 4a corresponding to the hump of the member 4. There may be three locating studs, and the hump 4a may be on any one of them.

The sliding plate 8 is guided by the slot in the top of the casing to move lengthwise along the mid-line of the casing, but it is not thereby confined to a horizontal plane; it can move vertically as far as the spring 5 allows. The advantage of this is that the pressure of the thumb at the beginning of an ejection somewhat separates the blades of the pile and thus makes easier and surer the engagement of the uppermost blade.

Figures 9 to 12 show other constructions of blade bed. In these the locating rib 4 or one of the locating pins, preferably the left-hand pin 4c, has a nose 23 of about the width of the round locating holes in the blade projecting in the direction of ejection. This is useful both in ejection and also in stacking the blades, for since it presses down the front end of the blades while the hoop spring presses up their rear end, the overlap of one rear edge beyond the next is somewhat widened, and by this means the gripping of only a single blade by the abutments a, 10b of the sliding plate is facilitated. Also the nose otters some resistance to the blades below the top one, so that only one blade can be ejected at a time.

in transport the filled blade holder may be exposed to severe jolting, such as might cause the blades to become disengaged from the locating member and disordered; this the nose 23 prevents.

Within the casing there is a space 18 for used blades. Its entrance 19 is so arranged that a blade once pushed in cannot of itself fall out. There is also a space 20 for a blade drier of blotting paper or the like.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having at least one aperture, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing about said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a for ward end position; stationary locating means for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said locating means slidably engaging the apertures in the stacked blades and having at least at its rear end a forwardly inclined guide face to hold said blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of blades towards the top of the casing; and a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the underlying stacked blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said locating means and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof.

2. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having a slot longitudinally extending therein, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; a locating rib for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said rib slidably engaging the slots in the stacked blades and having parallel forward sloping ends to hold the stacked blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of blades towards the top of the casing; and a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the underlying stacked blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said rib and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof.

3. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having at least two apertures, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; at least two locating studs for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof; and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said studs slidably engaging apertures in the stacked blades and being identically forward sloping to hold the stacked blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the .rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of bladestowards the top of the casing; and a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the underlying stacked blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said studs and pushes the same towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof.

4. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having at least one aperture, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; stationary locating means for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said locating means slidably engaging the apertures in the stacked blades and having at least at its rear end a forwardly inclined guide face to hold said blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of blades towards the top of the casing; and a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the stacked underlying blades; a transverse groove in said slide in front of said driving edge to receive the rear edge of the engaged uppermost blade; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said locating means and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof.

5. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having a slot longitudinally extending therein, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of i =6 V blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the easing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in iongitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; stationary locating means for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethroug h in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said locating means slidably engaging the slots in the stacked blades and having at least at its rear end a forwardly 'inclined guide face to hold said blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overre'a'ches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the underlying stacked blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said locating means and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof; a retaining nose on the front end of the blade locating means for cooperation with the front end of the slot of the uppermost blade, said nose releasing said blade when the same has been partially displaced by the advancing shoulder; and elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the rear ends of the stacked blades towards the top of the casing.

6. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having a slot longitudinally extending therein, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; stationary locating means for the stack of blades projecting from the container bottom toward the top of the casing and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said locating means slidably engaging the slots in the stacked blades and having at least at its rear end a forwardly inclined guide face to hold said blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps'leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of blades towards the top of the casing; a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the stacked underlying blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said locating means and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof; and a guiding rib longitudinally extending on the underside of the slide and adapted to engage the slot in the uppermost blade in order to position said blade while the same is being advanced against and through the blade exit openmg.

7. In a dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having at least one aperture, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, the improvement comprising in combination a casing adapted to receive a stack of blades and having in its front wall opposing the front edges of the blades a blade exit opening adjacent to the top of the casing; a slide mounted in the top of the casing above said stack for reciprocable displacement in longitudinal direction of the blades between a rear initial position and a forward end position; stationary locating means for the stack of blades projecting from the bottom of the casing toward the top thereof and leaving a passageway for the uppermost blade to slide therethrough in the direction towards said blade exit opening; said passageway being at least partially narrowed to the thickness of a blade; said locating means slidably engaging the apertures in the stacked blades and having at least at its rear end a forwardly inclined guide face to hold said blades in such echeloned formation that the front edge of each blade overreaches the front edge of the underlying blade and the rear edges of the stacked blades form steps leading from the uppermost blade to the lowermost blade; elastic means mounted in the casing for urging the stack of blades towards the top of the casing; and a shoulder upon said slide extending into the casing by not more than the thickness of a blade and having a frontal driving edge adapted to engage the rear edge of the uppermost blade and a base face adapted to depress the underlying stacked blades; said shoulder being located upon said slide to enter the step behind the rear edge of the uppermost blade when said slide is in its rear initial position so that said shoulder when said slide is being advanced from its rear initial position into its forward end position separates the uppermost blade from the stack piled upon the said locating means and pushes said blade towards and through said blade exit opening while the underlying stacked blades are being held down in continued engagement with the said locating means by said base face moving on top thereof.

8. A dispensing magazine for substantially rectangular razor blades each having at least one aperture, at least one sharpened longitudinal edge, and blunt front and rear edges, according to claim 1 wherein the slide is mounted in the top of the casing with lost motion in a direction perpendicular thereto permit the slide in its rear initial position when engaging the uppermost blade to at least temporarily depress the stack of blades underlying the uppermost blade before the same is being advanced against the blade exit opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,588,923 Wells June 15, 1926 1,911,627 Lashar May 30, 1933 2,084,085 Hartzell June 15, 1937 2,344,962 Benjamin Mar. 28, 1944 2,405,621 Testi Aug. 13, 1946 2,439,243 Dalkowitz Apr. 6, 1948 2,502,248 Colton et al Mar. 28, 1950 2,601,601 Fennelly June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 747,713 France Apr. 4, 1933 580,413 Germany July 11, 1933 

